Car Accidents

You should obtain whatever needed treatment after an accident right away. This is both for your benefit and for the benefit of any potential case you may have.

It is key that you take care of your health needs before anything else. Many people think that the at fault party will be the one taking care of medical bills as treatment needs arise- but if you do that, you could be waiting a while. It takes time to get a case initiated and to be settled, so be sure that you get medical treatment right away and then take that information with you when you see your attorney.

Once you’re on the mend and ready to begin, please do give us a call at (804) 554-4444.

Does Not Wearing a Seat Belt Impact My Personal Injury Case?

People often wonder if not wearing a seat belt will impact a personal injury case. This can be a tough question to answer, because each case is different- but simply put: yes. If you aren’t wearing a seat belt it will likely impact your personal injury case and this is why it will be more important to have a good attorney on your side.

Wearing seat belts in the first place is important to ensure your safety. Everyone knows that. However, when we’re talking about the typical head, neck or back injury seen in an accident: the other side is going to look into whether or not you were wearing a seat belt. Usually, the police officer at the scene will have noted that information in his or her report.

If you’ve been injured in a Virginia car accident, regardless of the circumstances, you need someone on your side. For a consultation, call us at (804) 554-4444.

What Is An Underinsured or Uninsured Driver?

If you have been in an accident with someone without insurance or who doesn’t have enough: you may already know the answer. This is simply put, when someone doesn’t have enough insurance to cover damages, or, they don’t have any at all.

Coverage clauses for this pay for costs that will relate to either property damage or injuries to you or anyone in your car if the accident was caused by a person who fits either description and sometimes, hit and run drivers. As of 2011, one in every seven Virginia motorists is completely uninsured, so this is an important addition to your existing coverage.

Just because a driver is underinsured or uninsured doesn’t mean you can’t seek compensation for your injuries. This, like anything else, requires the skills of a personal injury attorney on your side. Call us today at (804) 554-4444 to find out more.

How Dangerous Is Texting While Driving?

Very: and it is also becoming something that law enforcement as well as personal injury law takes much more seriously.

Car and Driver has an excellent piece on this. In this piece, it goes into all the ins, outs and specifics of this dangerous and growing habit. Most research, including this, indicates that texting while driving can be more dangerous than drinking and driving: and we know that is extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

What can you do? Don’t text and drive. Talk to your kids about it and make sure they understand the severity of it. Also, understand that if you’ve been in an accident with someone who was texting while driving, new laws are in place to protect your rights to compensation. Read more about it on our site, or give us a call at (804) 554-4444.

Who Should Pay For My Immediate Medical Bills?

You should. Or rather, your insurance.

When you’re in an accident, looking at those medical bills can be infuriating. You might wonder: Why doesn’t the person who caused the car accident have to pay my medical bills?

The first reason for this is that they may never pay them if you don’t file suit to get them to do so. However, even when this happens, you’re going to find you need mending now whereas the process of receiving compensation doesn’t happen immediately.

So, then, who pays for medical bills in a car accident? The immediate answer is that you, or your health insurance does. You are going to need the treatment now, therefor, you’re going to have to pay for those services now. Whether that’s out of pocket, with insurance, or on a payment plan, it just has to be done. Of course, nobody ever expects a car accident, but it’s important to be prepared.

Under Virginia law, your health insurance provider is going to be forbidden to require you to pay them back should you get a settlement for the bills from the at-fault’s auto insurance. Now, this may sound like you get twice the benefit, but there’s a good reason that this happens. The person who is to blame, called the tortfeaser, owes you the full cost of any healthcare you might receive. After all, they caused the accident so, they are fiscally responsible and this means their insurance may owe you compensation. You pay for your health and auto insurance, so, your providers also owe you the benefits you’ve paid for all that time.

However, it gets a bit tricky when it comes to submitting those medical bills through the insurance company. Though yes, Virginia law does apply to health benefit plans as well as health insurance policy- many employers now carry what’s known as a self-funded health benefit plan. This may not actually be insurance, technically speaking and therefor, might not be covered by that law. Even if the other driver has medpay- it’s important to go ahead and get your immediate needs taken care of.

This is why it is so important that after you get immediate treatment and you are ready to proceed, you contact a Virginia personal injury lawyer who can help you through this. Give us a call at (804)-554-4444 and we’ll guide you every step of the way.

How much is my Richmond car accident case worth?

This is one of the first questions many clients ask us when they call. You have been suffering from your injuries and the hassles in relation to your car wreck in Richmond for long enough and now you are ready for some compensation.

A number of questions must be answered before we can give an accurate appraisal of much your case is actually worth. Here are just a few:

What is the total cost of your medical bills—not just the bills you have received so far, but the future expenses until you have reached your maximum level of recovery?

What type of treatment you have received? Could additional therapy under the guidance of a specialist improve your condition?

Who is at fault? Is there shared responsibility between several persons?

What was the extent of the damages to the vehicle? What other property losses, if any, did you incur?

What type of insurance did the other driver hold?

Be cautious trusting any advertisement offering you a set amount of money. This blanket promise cannot be honestly made. Instead, accurate estimates must be done on a case-by-case basis because of the amount of detail that goes into each settlement.

Contact Christina Pendleton & Associates today for a free consultation and to get an honest estimate of what you can expect when you work with us. You can reach us today at 866-994-1455 to learn how Virginia personal injury lawyers will fight to get you the maximum recovery available.

What Is An Insurance Claims Adjuster?

An insurance claims adjuster is someone that investigates insurance claims. They will usually not only interview you, but also witnesses, police and look through hospital records as well as inspect property damage to determine how much is to be paid out. You’ll note, I didn’t say how much should be paid out: because that’s not what they’re trying to do.

It’s important to talk to your personal injury attorney before you speak to an insurance claims adjuster. Always remember this one rule: they work for their client and the insurance company, not for you. Make sure you have a personal injury lawyer on your side. Call us at (804) 554-4444 before you talk to them.